Naha City mayoral election campaign under way

The start of the campaigning in the Naha City Mayoral Election on Nov. 16th was officially announced Sunday.

In the election, 63-year-old former Vice Mayor Mikiko Shiroma will face 64-year-old Kanetoshi Yoseda, a lawyer and former Prefecture Vice Governor. Both have announced running as independents.

The main campaign issues are the administrative reform, revitalization of Naha downtown areas, resolving long waiting lists for nursery schools and improvement of the local economy. In addition, the basic attitude on the relocation of MCAS Futenma to Henoko and the deployment of Osprey aircraft will be part of the election campaign. The election takes place on Nov. 16th, the same day as the Prefecture gubernatorial election, and the ballots are counted on the same day.

Mikiko Shiroma is born Jan. 20th, 1951, and is a graduate of the Miyagi University of Education in Miyagi Prefecture. She has served as a teacher and principal in a junior high school. In 2009, she served as a chief of the School Education Division of Naha City, and then became the Chief Superintendent of Schools in the City. She served as a vice-mayor from this April through this month. Shiroma is from Izena Village.

Kanetoshi Yoseda is born Aug. 22nd, 1950. He graduated from the Graduate School of Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In 1977, he passed the bar exam, and served as a lawyer. He served two years as a deputy governor from 2011, and is the Chief of the Okinawa Bar Association and a public safety commissioner. Yoseda is from Ishigaki City.